Kissimmee City Manager Mark Durbin has made the announcement that Aug. 31 will be his last day on the job after 23 years.

Durbin after the commission meeting Tuesday said he never anticipated managing the city for more than two decades as he has. Since starting in the position in 1987, Kissimmee has grown from a small town to a city with 60,000-plus residents.

Could Kissimmee have done better as far as city manager? We don't think so. It's been a darn good run, Mark.

He's overseen the growth of the city and many of its capital projects without micromanaging. That never seemed to be Durbin's philosophy. He relied on his department heads to complete the tasks at hand and it has apparently worked for more than two decades.

But he expected those employees to perform those duties efficiently and was not hesitant to make changes. That was visibly evident when he unexpectedly fired former police chief Mark Weimer in 2005, saying he violated city policy.

He has had his critics. Some who sat up on the dais with him during City Commission meetings over the years at times questioned his leadership. But he was never afraid of making the unpopular decision as we believe he always had the city's best interests at heart.

He managed a way to keep the property tax low by looking for other ways to bring in revenue.

We also saw his lighter side. He's donned the outfit of Elwood Blues at certain events, one half of the famed Blues Brothers originally played by Dan Ackroyd, and performed the hits with his counterpart Don Miers, made famous by the late John Belushi. He's also been known to slap on the skates to play in recreational hockey leagues. Good stuff.

Deputy City Manager Mike Steigerwald, who started working for the city more than 16 years ago as a planner, said Tuesday he would “definitely” apply to be the city’s next city manager. We think that would be an appropriate fit. Steigerwald knows the ropes.

But we only want one thing, Mark, before you go: Sing a few bars of “Soul Man."

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Correction: Thursday’s editorial contained an error in regard to qualifying for the Kissimmee city election. Candidates no longer need petition signatures following a change to the city charter in 2008.